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How books are being scanned and destroyed to train artificial intelligence

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Based on a feed excerpt; full article content has not been acquired. Source evidence retrieved 16/10/2026, 10:08:24 UTC.

Briefings

A 2026 investigation by France 2 reports that millions of physical books are being digitized and destroyed to train AI models, raising concerns about the permanent loss of rare second-hand books. The article highlights the controversy surrounding this practice and the potential for significant cultural heritage to vanish.

Key points

• Millions of physical books are being digitized and destroyed to train artificial intelligence models.
• Rare second-hand books may disappear forever due to this practice.

Context

France 2 investigates the controversial practice of digitizing and destroying physical books to train AI models, highlighting the risk of permanent loss of rare second-hand books.

Limitations

Evidence is limited to a single sentence from a 2026 article by France 2. Specific numbers, dates, or named actors are not provided in the source.

Generated by Bittrees-hosted qwen35-2b sha256:aaf42c8b7c3c on 16/10/2026, 11:44:29 UTC. Based on publisher-provided feed evidence; may not cover the full original article. Check the source for details.

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